Dave's take on the Blackpool fiasco...
Clarets Mad match summariser Dave Thornley who is no doubt as shocked as the rest of us provides his thoughts on three points chucked away by a very errant goalkeeper…
The temptation to compare and contrast Burnley under Vincent Kompany and Burnley under Sean Dyche is simultaneously an exercise in futility and impossible to resist. And the contrast was never more vividly apparent in yesterday’s 3-3 draw against Blackpool at Turf Moor, a match which the neutral might describe as a “thriller” but which for Clarets fans was another dollop of frustration we were compelled to digest.
Throughout the first half, some of Burnley’s football was exhilarating in its drive, its precision, and its imagination. The game had barely begun when Jay Rodriguez’s clever lay off invited Josh Brownhill to thump the ball into the roof of the Blackpool net from long range.
It wasn’t long before Burnley were two up; Harwood-Bellis’ perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Nathan Tella who held off the physical attentions of a Blackpool defender before slotting the ball into the corner of the Seasiders’ net.
For Blackpool this was going to be “Death in the Afternoon” as Hemmingway would describe it, Burnley the haughty matadors taunting and frustrating disorientated and increasingly desperate opponents in the hot summer sun. The crowd felt it too with hubristic cries of “ole” during prolonged periods of possession.
But their pomposity and swagger were promptly punctured by the concession of the first of three easily preventable Blackpool goals; Aro Muric and the defenders in front of him are clearly under instructions to play their way out of the back with a series of short interchanging passes. Personally, it is a tactic I have never liked, inviting as it does, pressure for minimal reward.
On this occasion, with a simple ball to Charlie Taylor available to Muric, he instead chose to play to an off-balance Josh Cullen who was promptly dispossessed allowing Blackpool’s Corbeanu an easy finish. It was a panic-induced error by a goalkeeper who had nothing to panic about.
Here is one of those compare and contrast moments; in the same circumstances under Dyche, Nick Pope would have simply belted the ball as far away from his goalmouth as he could; and whilst it may be laudable to embrace the risk in order to maintain possession, that risk is a disproportionately large one. There is nothing wrong in simply clearing your lines.
At least the defensive lapses were equalised shortly after, when a Blackpool defender’s misjudgement allowed Tella to score his second goal with a shot into the same top corner previously found by Brownhill.
Half time, and Burnley’s two goal advantage restored. During the break there was an inspiring pitch-side interview with the ever-impressive and ever-articulate former Claret Clarke Carlisle, who openly discussed his struggles with mental health, the challenges he has confronted and the work he continues to do in this field to help those similarly afflicted. Together with the tribute paid to Lenny Johnrose during the first half, this was a timely reminder of the relative insignificance of a mere game of football.
The second half called for a bit of what has become known as “game management”, with a two-goal advantage and – Muric’s blip notwithstanding – a comprehensive first half performance, there seemed no obstacle to a Clarets win and three welcome points, other than those they might bring upon themselves.
Compare and contrast: Dyche drew a fair amount of criticism for not utilising his substitutes bench enough, preferring to maintain a shape that kept Burnley “in the game”. Kompany, however, fell into the same trap as Alf Ramsey in Mexico all those years ago; withdrawing players who were playing
well in order to preserve them for future encounters, on the assumption that a two-goal cushion would secure the victory.
Removing Jay Rodriguez on the hour and Nathan Tella ten minutes later robbed Burnley of their forward thrust and link up play in Rodriguez’s case and the energy and defensive protection down their left flack offered by Tella, who let us not forget was on a hat-trick and not so far as could be seen, nursing a knock, or visibly tiring.
As a result, Ian Maatsen, struggled to cope single-handedly with Blackpool’s attacks down their right; and he got himself into a terrible tangle as he tried to prevent a right-wing cross which was tapped in from close range by Lavery, revealing to Blackpool an unlikely passage back into a game they had no right to be travelling down.
It was one they exploited a short while later, when Burnley’s second half madness allowed a far post corner to be headed back into the goal mouth by an unmarked Blackpool player, allowing another tap-in, this time by Yates.
Blackpool had not only rescued a point, but the Seasiders also sensed victory and Muric, it should be noted, made two point-preserving saves as the visitors pressed.
Burnley tried to re-group and re-impose themselves, and Maatsen, charging up field from the edge of his own box was cut off at the knee by Blackpool’s Carey. Carey was shown a red card, but Maatsen’s angry retaliatory shove on the offender gave the referee little option but to brandish the same card in Maatsen’s direction.
For the remainder of the game Burnley pressed hard but, as their desperation increased, the chances wouldn’t come and, in the end, it was yet another of those irritating home matches which were drawn when they should have been won, although it would be churlish not to acknowledge the spirit and tenacity shown by Blackpool in hauling themselves back into a game which looked lost.
Some thinking for the manager to do although his substitutions were a mistake, he can rightly take the view that the players brought on should have been able to enact his instructions and stick to the shape which had hitherto worked well. Muric’s error for the first Blackpool goal was a product of the playing out from the back tactic, it may not be the last goal he concedes in this manner if the policy is to be continued. If so, the fans need to be shown the benefits that this way of playing are supposed to yield.
It now seems likely that for at least the duration of Maatsen’s suspension, Charlie Taylor will switch to his more familiar role at left back, leaving a gap alongside Harwood-Bellis in the centre. Blackpool’s third goal illustrated the need for Burnley to have a dominating figure in the centre of defence, who will win headers and make tackles; a Jack Charlton alongside Harwood-Bellis’ Bobby Moore, if you will. Egan-Riley will no doubt audition for the role in the mid-week League Cup visit to Shrewsbury Town, but it is possible the Kompany will once again peer through the transfer window to see what may be on offer.
Early season optimism is ebbing away, and positivity is in diminishing supply amongst Burnley fans; but let us cling on to how commanding a first half performance they put in, and the majestic football they proved themselves capable of during yesterday’s first half.
Footnote from the Clarets Mad editor, I always try to be positive when discussing the Clarets, but Muric is seriously doing my head in. (TEC).
Me? I think Muric is a clown.
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